As with any ‘sources say’ story, you may want to take the latest Washington, D.C. whispers with a grain of salt. With that said, The Wall Street Journal says sources are telling them that President-Elect Donald Trump is considering dropping Pete Hegseth as his nominee for Secretary of Defense and replacing him with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The New York Post has more.
Trump considers replacing Pete Hegseth with Ron DeSantis as Defense secretary pick: report https://t.co/tIGepRuqe3 pic.twitter.com/7PEA2fa3zU
— New York Post (@nypost) December 4, 2024
DeSantis is considered a fierce Republican and would probably do fine in the job if he got the Senate votes needed to be confirmed. But, most posters say he should remain in Florida.
Ron Desantis needs to continue to serve Florida. They need to keep him there as the state needs him.
— synergytruth (@synergytrusa) December 4, 2024
Managing the Pentagon is a whole different battlefield. ⚔️🏛️ DeSantis is an excellent candidate for that. With his executive experience in Florida, he could bring a fresh perspective.
— Akram Siddique (@akrammsiddique) December 4, 2024
Nah- he needs to stay in Florida.
— OrraObserves (@OrraObserves) December 4, 2024
Desantis' 2nd governor term ends in 2027. Is this real?
— OutdoorPuffy (@OutdoorPuffy) December 4, 2024
DeSantis’s term ends in January of 2027. He is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits put on Florida governors.
Pete Hegseth has been dogged by sexual assault allegations. Many Trump supporters have seen this playbook before.
Not happy about this at all
— Common Sense Custodian (@Wall_St_Custo) December 4, 2024
Pete is a good guy and is getting Kavvanah treatment
@realDonaldTrump No. stick with Hegseth. Stick to your guns. You have the political capital to spend. Now is the time.
— Who Cares? (@HisShadow45) December 4, 2024
The fear is if Trump buckles on this nomination it will be seen as a sign of weakness which Democrats and establishment Republicans will try to exploit on his other nominees. Trump supporters want the President-Elect to push onward with Hegseth.
This happens in EVERY election that Republicans win. This is exactly why I'm not a Republican. They get power and they screw it all up by dragging their feet.
— Matt (@msipes) December 4, 2024
This is why we need to shut the government down. Its not working for the people anymore.
This would send exactly the wrong message of weakness to the deep state saboteurs in the Senate.
— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) December 4, 2024
Make the GOP Senate cowards vote down Hegseth if they want.
Then nominate someone more radical.
DeSantis is doing a great job where he is.
Trump met with DeSantis Tuesday when they attended a fallen officer’s memorial service in Florida. It’s unknown if they discussed the Secretary of Defense position or other possible positions in Trump’s upcoming administration.
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